Custom GD Gold Top
- Thread starter GoDrex
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GoDrex
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Just thought I'd add this to the ongoing fun with this guitar - from another thread:
Well I got my SH-2b today and put it in the LP. I'm not completely sold on it, but it's already a huge improvement. My only problem with it is it seems to not have much thickness or meat to it. BUT, this might sound ridiculous to some, but I find it easier to play the guitar now. I was ripping with this thing and liking the feel of it a lot more, whereas with the Custom I felt like I was fighting it half the time. Plus, with the Custom it was like my low E was under a blanket. Now I can hear it. Clean, the Jazz is 100 times better. It actually sounds good - before I never would use the bridge pickup for a clean tone. it's got to be one of the brightest humbucker pickups ever - and it's very sensitive to how hard or soft you play. Even with a tone of gain you can play softly and it will clean up. BUT I find that win tons of gain it's kind of buzzy, or it's lacking mid-range. But regardless I'm enjoying it for now. I'm thinking I should have tried the JB I have before the Jazz, just to see how it would sound, and I may still try that (I was saving it for a build that may never come). For now I'm going to keep the Jazz in there and tweak my amp settings and see if I can be even happier with it. It's a definite improvement, but not quite where I want to be I think.
Well I got my SH-2b today and put it in the LP. I'm not completely sold on it, but it's already a huge improvement. My only problem with it is it seems to not have much thickness or meat to it. BUT, this might sound ridiculous to some, but I find it easier to play the guitar now. I was ripping with this thing and liking the feel of it a lot more, whereas with the Custom I felt like I was fighting it half the time. Plus, with the Custom it was like my low E was under a blanket. Now I can hear it. Clean, the Jazz is 100 times better. It actually sounds good - before I never would use the bridge pickup for a clean tone. it's got to be one of the brightest humbucker pickups ever - and it's very sensitive to how hard or soft you play. Even with a tone of gain you can play softly and it will clean up. BUT I find that win tons of gain it's kind of buzzy, or it's lacking mid-range. But regardless I'm enjoying it for now. I'm thinking I should have tried the JB I have before the Jazz, just to see how it would sound, and I may still try that (I was saving it for a build that may never come). For now I'm going to keep the Jazz in there and tweak my amp settings and see if I can be even happier with it. It's a definite improvement, but not quite where I want to be I think.
GoDrex
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Thanks. 
So - as much as I loved the clean sound of the Jazz bridge, I couldn't take the distorted sound and that's how I play 90% of the time. I removed the Jazz and put the JB I had been saving in and now all is happy. It's like the perfect in between of the Custom and the Jazz. It's not muddy like the custom and it's not nearly as harsh with gain as the Jazz. The clean isn't as good as the Jazz, but it's better than the Custom's clean. It's funny because my main guitar for years had a JB and I liked it, but when I did this build I wanted something different and went for the Custom. I had thought about getting the JB/Jazz combo in the first place but decided not to, and now this is what I'm ending up with (for now). Any other ideas for a dark sounding guitar? The JB does sound good, but kind of generic or vanilla as they say. :laughing7:
So now I've got a bunch of pickups without guitars:
Nickel covered Custom
Nickel covered Jazz bridge
black JB
Fake Lawrence L-900R - black like an EMG
Dimarzio Air Norton - black
so I've got at least 3 guitars there. I even have the two stock "Stinger" humbuckers I took out of my Parker, if I need another one.
I think the problem with the custom is it just won't work in an all mahogany and rosewood guitar. It needs something a little brighter. The Jazz bridge is great, but not with gain. I've heard that some guys like to use it in the neck position - so that's a possibility. I have no idea yet what the Air Norton is like. The fake Lawrence is very good in the neck position and I have this idea of using it a guitar with a Floyd Rose, because the strings won't get caught under the bobbins.
I need money. I better win that damn raffle. :laughing7:
So - as much as I loved the clean sound of the Jazz bridge, I couldn't take the distorted sound and that's how I play 90% of the time. I removed the Jazz and put the JB I had been saving in and now all is happy. It's like the perfect in between of the Custom and the Jazz. It's not muddy like the custom and it's not nearly as harsh with gain as the Jazz. The clean isn't as good as the Jazz, but it's better than the Custom's clean. It's funny because my main guitar for years had a JB and I liked it, but when I did this build I wanted something different and went for the Custom. I had thought about getting the JB/Jazz combo in the first place but decided not to, and now this is what I'm ending up with (for now). Any other ideas for a dark sounding guitar? The JB does sound good, but kind of generic or vanilla as they say. :laughing7:
So now I've got a bunch of pickups without guitars:
Nickel covered Custom
Nickel covered Jazz bridge
black JB
Fake Lawrence L-900R - black like an EMG
Dimarzio Air Norton - black
so I've got at least 3 guitars there. I even have the two stock "Stinger" humbuckers I took out of my Parker, if I need another one.
I think the problem with the custom is it just won't work in an all mahogany and rosewood guitar. It needs something a little brighter. The Jazz bridge is great, but not with gain. I've heard that some guys like to use it in the neck position - so that's a possibility. I have no idea yet what the Air Norton is like. The fake Lawrence is very good in the neck position and I have this idea of using it a guitar with a Floyd Rose, because the strings won't get caught under the bobbins.
I need money. I better win that damn raffle. :laughing7:
You can still RMA the Jazz if its under 21 days old.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/warranty-inform/
Something else to consider on that SH-5 you have. It's got a ceramic magnet and swapping it out for an alnico is cheap. SD actually sells it that way since so many people were doing it.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/progressive/sh14_custom_5/
"Developed by contributors to our web user group who replaced the ceramic or Alnico 2 magnet in an SH-5 Custom or SH-11 Custom Custom with an Alnico 5."
Magnet source:
http://www.shop.wymoreguitars.com/category.sc?categoryId=29
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/warranty-inform/
Something else to consider on that SH-5 you have. It's got a ceramic magnet and swapping it out for an alnico is cheap. SD actually sells it that way since so many people were doing it.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/progressive/sh14_custom_5/
"Developed by contributors to our web user group who replaced the ceramic or Alnico 2 magnet in an SH-5 Custom or SH-11 Custom Custom with an Alnico 5."
Magnet source:
http://www.shop.wymoreguitars.com/category.sc?categoryId=29
GoDrex
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I actually just ordered an A2 and A8 magnet yesterday. My plan is to try to make a JB2 first and if that isn't to my liking I'm going to do a JB8. Then I can take the A5 from the JB and use that in the Custom. If I like the JB2 I can try the A8 in the Custom as well. As for the Jazz bridge, I think I'm going to keep it to use somewhere down the line. I liked it a lot. I just didn't think it was great for high gain. I do think it would be great in the neck position OR in the bridge of a hollow L5S - which I might like to do someday.
Like I said I need to win that raffle. I need more guitars :laughing7:
btw - the guitar sounds better than it ever has with the JB in there. I just either cut some treble on the amp or use the tone on the guitar and it's pretty sweet. Much better than the Custom.
Like I said I need to win that raffle. I need more guitars :laughing7:
btw - the guitar sounds better than it ever has with the JB in there. I just either cut some treble on the amp or use the tone on the guitar and it's pretty sweet. Much better than the Custom.
GoDrex
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I'll keep that in mind if I ever need a neck pick up (though the '59 and Jazz sound great to me). I heard that it was better for the bridge - that it might be muddy or bass-y in the neck position - but maybe good in a bright guitar (which the LP is not). If I wasn't sick of unsoldering and soldering the pickup wires, I'd try it in the LP's bridge slot (though I've been trying to maintain the nickel covered look of the guitar). But now I'll be busy doing magnet swaps.
GoDrex said:
It is a great neck pickup, especially in a mahogany bodied guitar. I have one in a mahogany bodied Strat and it rocks. Chunky rhythm and a killer lead tone. I don't know what his guitar body is made from, but if you listen to Petrucci, he uses the Air Norton in the neck for leads.
GoDrex
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Well I purposely try to avoid anything Petrucci is involved with. My playing is already boring enough. I don't need to crank up the blandness even more hehehe 
I actually slapped that pickup in the bridge of my parker just to see what it would do. It sounds good but is lacking something. It may get moved to the neck. I recently got some more bridge pickups to try.
I'm bummed that ildar left. I got an invader and the air norton off of him. I like buying up the pickups he doesn't want anymore. :laughing7:
I actually slapped that pickup in the bridge of my parker just to see what it would do. It sounds good but is lacking something. It may get moved to the neck. I recently got some more bridge pickups to try.
I'm bummed that ildar left. I got an invader and the air norton off of him. I like buying up the pickups he doesn't want anymore. :laughing7:
Gary, here is a link to a short vid of a Les Paul with an Air Norton in the neck. He also has an Air Zone in the bridge. NOT Petrucci related. :laughing7:
http://www.dimarzioforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=292.0
From the DiMarzio website:
"The Air Norton™ started out simply to be the Airbucker™ version of the Norton®. We thought it would make a distinctive-sounding bridge pickup with high-gain amps, but we soon discovered that it’s a radically neat neck pickup, too. The tone is deep and warm, but not muddy. It's hot, but not distorted. It's even got cool harmonics, which are really unusual for a neck humbucker. The patented Air Norton™ magnetic structure reduces string-pull, so sustain is improved; and pick attack and dynamics are tremendously controllable and expressive. Combine the Air Norton™ with an Air Zone™, The Tone Zone® or Steve's Special™ in the bridge position for a perfect blend of power and tone, or use an Air Norton™ in the bridge position with an Air Classic™ bridge model in the neck position for a distinctive medium-output blues-rock sound. "
http://www.dimarzioforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=292.0
From the DiMarzio website:
"The Air Norton™ started out simply to be the Airbucker™ version of the Norton®. We thought it would make a distinctive-sounding bridge pickup with high-gain amps, but we soon discovered that it’s a radically neat neck pickup, too. The tone is deep and warm, but not muddy. It's hot, but not distorted. It's even got cool harmonics, which are really unusual for a neck humbucker. The patented Air Norton™ magnetic structure reduces string-pull, so sustain is improved; and pick attack and dynamics are tremendously controllable and expressive. Combine the Air Norton™ with an Air Zone™, The Tone Zone® or Steve's Special™ in the bridge position for a perfect blend of power and tone, or use an Air Norton™ in the bridge position with an Air Classic™ bridge model in the neck position for a distinctive medium-output blues-rock sound. "
